Google and Meta are blocking political ads to combat misinformation. Some experts say it’s too late

Facebook, Instagram, Google and YouTube are clamping down on political ads in an effort to combat misinformation that could undermine trust in the results of a contentious election or stir up unrest.

Facebook, Instagram, Google and YouTube are clamping down on political ads in an effort to combat misinformation that could undermine trust in the results of a contentious election or stir up unrest. Meta last week began blocking advertisers from creating or running new ads about US social issues, elections or politics across its platforms, including Facebook and Instagram. Meta’s ban of new political advertising was initially set to expire Tuesday night, but on Monday the company extended it until later this week. Google says it will implement a similar, temporary pause on ads related to US elections after the last polls close on Tuesday, set to remain in place for an unspecified period of time. TikTok has not allowed political ads since 2019. In contrast, X ended its ban on political advertising last year after billionaire Elon Musk took over the platform and has not announced any pause around the election. The election ad pauses are designed to prevent candidates or their supporters from attempting to sway public sentiment or claim early victory during what could be a days-long period of uncertainty around the results as ballots are counted. But experts say that previous moves by social media companies — such as cutting their own internal safety teams — could undercut their current efforts. The pauses on some ads come as election officials have already spent weeks trying to combat viral misinformation about the election, including uncorroborated allegations of machines flipping votes and claims of widespread fraud in mail ballots. It also comes as federal law enforcement officials have warned that domestic extremists with “election-related grievances,” such as a belief in voter fraud despite a lack of proof, could engage in violence following the election. Former President Donald Trump and many of his supporters have already made repeated false claims that Democrats are cheating in the election. What’s more, the proliferation of artificial intelligence tools has raised concerns that fake images, video or audio could be used in an effort to lend legitimacy to election rumors and false claims.